Paris is famous for its uniformly elegant architecture: the Belle Époque buildings lining the boulevards, the medieval houses on narrow lanes, the manicured gardens, the glazed corner cafes. No matter how elegant, though, one does occasionally need a break from the uniformity. And this is where a hotel like the Hotel Banke can really help out.
From the outside, it is another classic edifice, standing at a sharp corner like the prow of a ship. Inside is another story – the stunningly grand lobby has been created from the marbled and mosaic’d rotunda of a former bank. Here it will also become apparent that a creative decorator has been at work on the Banke — gold sofas and massive contemporary chandeliers are a dead giveaway. Up some sweeping stairs to your room, you’ll find things leaning more towards the crisp and modern, but not sterile by any stretch. The décor does not completely fall into any single category, just taut, cool and very French. From intimate quarters up in the roof dormers to the most luxurious suite, the Banke is on the money.
It’s also fortunately located almost directly behind the legendary Opéra Garnier and is extremely convenient to loads of cultural institutions — as well as loads of great shopping. The rest of the 8th is just a few steps beyond, home to the Champs-Élysées, Place Vendôme, Place de la Concorde, and all manner of other unmissable sights. A more mysterious Paris hides down tiny alleys and among neighborhoods to the north. This is certainly not to say that staying in at the Banke wouldn’t make for a rewarding day; the hotel’s own Restaurant Josefin provides excellent Mediterranean seasonal fare from up in the skylit balconies of the rotunda. Likewise, the Banke’s LolaBar is a fine spot to spend an evening.
author watson@mouselink.net, source www.tablethotels.com